The righteous taken away from the evil to come applied to the death of the late excellent Queen, in a sermon preach'd at St. Martin's Church, on Sunday, January the twentieth, 1694/5, before the mayor, baliffs, and commonalty of the city of Oxford / by White Kennett ... Kennett, White, 1660-1728. 1695 Approx. 40 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 17 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2005-10 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A47257 Wing K303 ESTC R17585 12866336 ocm 12866336 94735 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A47257) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 94735) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 985:27) The righteous taken away from the evil to come applied to the death of the late excellent Queen, in a sermon preach'd at St. Martin's Church, on Sunday, January the twentieth, 1694/5, before the mayor, baliffs, and commonalty of the city of Oxford / by White Kennett ... Kennett, White, 1660-1728. [2], 31 p. Printed by Leonard Lichfield, for George West ..., Oxford : 1695. Reproduction of original in Union Theological Seminary Library, New York. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Applied to The DEATH OF THE Late Excellent QUEEN , IN A SERMON PREACH'D At St. MARTIN'S CHURCH , On Sunday January the Twentieth , 1694 / 5. Before the MAYOR , Bailiffs , and Commonalty of the City of OXFORD . By WHITE KENNETT , B. D. One of the Lecturers to that Corporation . OXFORD , Printed by Leonard Lichfield , for George West , Bookseller , 1695. A Sermon , &c. ISAIAH . Chap. LVII . Ver. 1. The Righteous perisheth , and no Man layeth it to Heart ; and merciful Men are taken away , None considering that the Righteous is taken away from the Evil to come . THE preceding Chapter does conclude with a grievous Complaint , which the Prophet makes , of a loose and careless World : when all Persons were either intent upon their Profit , or addicted to their Pleasure : and seem'd to have little or no Concern for any publick Calamity that fell upon them . Hence in the Ninth Verse , All ye Beasts of the Field come to devour : Yea , all ye Beasts in the Forest. That is , the Land of Israel which GOD once Cared for , the Vineyard which he once Planted with his own Right-hand , it is now so Degenerate , and Barren of all that is Good , that it is only Ripe for Desolation . Therefore , All ye Beasts of the Field and the Forest come and devour it . i. e. Let this Vineyard be Entred and Trampled by some Forreign Nation : Let it be Profan'd by some strange Religion : Let Heathens come , and take away the Place and Nation . For alas ! All the Inhabitants are Secure and Stupid : They scarce apprehend the common Danger : They take no thought of appeasing the Anger of GOD , or of averting those Judgments that hover o're their guilty Heads : No! Even they whose Character and Office makes it their especial Duty to attend the publick Good , They are all wrapt up in Vice and Ease . ver . 10. His Watchmen are blind , they are all ignorant , and so on . Some have their Soul fill'd up with Thoughts and Cares how to force Trade , and improve their sordid Store . ver . 11. They all look to their own way , every one for his Gain from his Quarter . And while these are drudging to encrease their Wealth , there be Others equally unconcern'd for National Interest , who drown the sense of common Safety in Riot and Excess . ver . 12. Come ye , say they , I will fetch Wine ; and we will fill our selves with strong Drink ; and to morrow shall be as this day , and much more abundant . And thus , between the base Avarice of some , and the rude Debauchery of others : The Nation sleeps on in fatal Security , and wants the feeling of her own Wounds . If GOD should now threaten Invasions from abroad , and Distractions at home ; yet few would apprehend the Storm , more few provide against it . If GOD should take away a righteous Prince , and give the deepest cause for a universal Grief and Lamentation ; yet a covetous and dissolute People would scarce be affected with the infinite Loss : For so it follows in the Text. The Righteous perisheth , and no Man layeth it to Heart ; and merciful Men are taken away ; None considering that the Righteous is taken away from the Evil to come . Let me ask leave first to explain the Words , and then to reflect on the Sense and Subject of them . First , Here is the Character of those who are said to perish , and to be taken away . They are the Righteous and the Merciful : The Righteous perisheth , and merciful Men are taken away . To be Righteous does I think imply a universal Goodness , Piety , Justice , Integrity , and most other Graces and Vertues , that make the perfect and upright Soul : Therefore our Blessed SAVIOUR who had no Sin nor Guile , is call'd the Sun of Righteousness ; and scarce a higher Eulogy could be given of him , than what the Centurion deliver'd at his Passion , Certainly this was a Righteous Man. And tho' this Title cannot be strictly conferr'd on any of us Sinners : For in truth , among us there is no One fully Righteous , no not One. Yet in a qualify'd sence , and with that allowance which Religion and Language make , those Persons who are Exemplary for Goodness and Vertue , they are justly call'd Righteous : Partly for their own love , and their own practice of all Equity , and Honesty ; but chiefly for the Merits of the Holy JESUS , by which they are justify'd , or accepted as Righteous , in the sight of GOD : For he is said to cover us with a Robe of Righteousness , Isa. 61.10 . and by St. Paul to be made Sin ( or a Sufferer for Sin ) for us , that we might be made the Righteousness of God in Him. Nor are they only call'd Righteous , but Merciful : The Merciful men are taken away . Because Mercy , Pity and Compassion , they ought to be alway the Temper and Practice of Righteous persons : Therefore the the Wise Man joins these Two Vertues to make up the Characters of Goodness , He that followeth after Righteousness and Mercy . Mercy without Righteousness makes a soft and a weak Soul , and Righteousness without Mercy has nothing Divine or Humane in it : At least , if Righteousness alone would create some Veneration ; yet it is Mercy can alone command the love of Mankind : For scarcely for a Righteous man will one Dye , yet peradventure for a Good man some would even dare to Dye . This in general is the Righteous and Merciful that perisheth , and is taken away . But Interpreters believe the Prophet meant some one particular Person of eminent Vertue and of high Degree : Perhaps the Messiah himself : or perhaps some Crowned Head in Israel , who reign'd a publick Blessing , whose Righteousness and Mercy , so long as he liv'd , did serve to establish his Throne , and to exalt his Nation . And Grotius understands it of the great Example of Royal Vertues Josiah , who did alway that which was right in the sight of the Lord ; and keeping the noble Mean between Superstition and Profaneness , turned not aside neither to the right Hand nor to the left . Alas ! That righteous Prince , and merciful Governour perisheth , and is taken away . The second Phrase to be explain'd . To perish cannot be here meant a total Destruction , or a return to sleep in Nothing ; in which sence the Beasts are said to perish . No one of Mankind can so perish : For when our mortal Bodies drop , our Souls must put on Immortality ; and while our Flesh falls back to Dust and Ashes , our Spirit does return to God who gave it . Nor can perishing here mean that eternal Perdition , which remains the plague and portion of the Wicked , who without doubt shall perish everlastingly : For the Righteous shall be sav'd from that dreadful Doom , and shall enter into a rest , and peace , and joy for ever and ever . But by perishing is here plainly meant a temporal Death , from which no more the Righteous than the Wicked can be exempted . It being appointed for all ( however great and good ) for all Men once to Dye . So is the sence of the same phrase , Mic. 7.2 . The Good man is perished out of the Earth : i. e. is dead and gone ; and so is taken away , or remov'd from one World to another : As the Messiah by his Passion is said to have been taken away and cut off out of the land of the Living . So as the Prophet might design these words should signify to this effect . Some one righteous and merciful Soul , whose Authority and Example countenanc'd Vertue , and kept up Religion : That Great Soul , of whom the World was not worthy , has left this ungrateful World , and is gone to seek a better Country , and to sit upon a higher Throne , where it has receiv'd a Crown of Righteousness laid up for it , where it reigns in greater Glory , and enjoys a Kingdom which shall have no end . But tho' the Righteous thus perisheth , and the Merciful be thus taken away : yet No man layeth it to Heart , none considereth . To lay to Heart is a Hebrew Phrase to be deeply affected with Concern and Sorrow : to mourn and express the Affliction and Bitterness of our Soul : and to be humbled under the severe Blow that is struck by the mighty Hand of GOD. Then to consider of it : that is , to remember what Provocations we have given to the ALMIGHTY , that he should thus Chastise us in his Anger : to reflect that we have indeed deserved these and worse things to come upon us : but then to weigh and advise , what Course will be most proper to appease an Offended GOD , and to avert those farther Judgments , which this one Calamity seems to threaten and presage . And One would think all this Scene of Sorrow musts needs open , when the Righteous perisheth , and when the Merciful are taken away . It is the Instruction of Solomon , that after the day of Death , there will be a house of Mourning : and at the End of any Man , the Living will lay it to his Heart . To Die is the debt of Nature , paid by Departing Souls : and to mourn for the Dead is as much the debt of Nature in those Friends that survive . Especially if the Soul taken away were Righteous and Merciful , the Loss is greater , and the greater Sorrow due . More precious is their Death in the sight of the LORD : and more dear should be their Memory among the Sons of Men. But especially , when 't is probable the Prophet meant , not a righteous Soul that inspired a common and ordinary Mortal : but One advanc'd to Grandeur , One in Royal Dignity and Power ; whose Greatness did dilate and recommend his Goodness ; who shin'd in an higher Orb , even as a Sun of Righteousness , and shed a gracious Influence on all Below : For such a One to perish , and be took away , must needs spread a Darkness and a Horrour over the Faces and over the Hearts of all , that were so lately blest with that Auspicious heat and light . The Prophet might well expect , that on this sad Occasion , every Breast should have swell'd and broke in Sighs , and from every Eye should arise a Fountain of Tears , when the Breath of their Nostrils , the Anointed of the Lord , was taken from them : But he found himself disappointed ; the People had no sense of Loss , no impression of Grief ; as careless and unconcern'd , as if common Humanity had been buried with the Dead . This provokes the Prophet to upbraid their hardness of Heart , their stupidity of Soul ; that they should have no common Justice to lament the perishing of the Righteous ; no Bowels left to condole the Merciful being taken away . Alas ! That the Righteous One should perish , and no Man should lay it to Heart ! and that Merciful men should be taken away , none considering that The Righteous is taken away from the Evil to come . This Phrase does admit of a double sence : Either first , For the Righteous to be taken away from all personal Evil , that by a longer Life should come upon themselves : Or secondly , The Righteous being taken away from some publick Evil , that after their Departure shall fall upon the People and Nation , which they leave behind . It is undoubtedly true in the First , and I am afraid more true in the Second sense . First , The Righteous and Merciful are taken away from all personal and private Evils &c. For as the Psalmist declares , Many are the Afflictions of the Righteous , and it is only Death can deliver them out of all : And sure one great Evil , from which they are taken , is to see the Wickedness of the Age they live in : For Righteous persons to observe so much of Fraud and Oppression , of Injury and Violence ; for merciful Souls to live on , and behold so much spiteful Revenge , and so many cruel Mercies of the Wicked : This must needs move their Patience , and tempt their Indignation ; as was the sore Experience of Lot in the midst of Sodom , when to be an Eye-witness of their scandalous and abominable way of living , He dwelling among them , in seeing and hearing , did vex his righteous Soul from day to day . Especially good and pious Princes , they are more nearly concern'd for the Glory of GOD , and the Good of Mankind ; and therefore are more deeply affected with the heinous and crying Sins of their People . To see that neither their Authority can restrain , nor their Example reform , the Age they live in : In spite of their Laws and their own Obedience to them , to see Vice and Villany insult , and reign above their Sovereign power ; This must needs be a Grief and Vexation to their Royal Spirit : For so holy David was often mourning for the Sins of his dissolute Subjects : Rivers of Waters run down mine Eyes , because they keep not thy Law : I beheld the Transgressors , and was grieved , because they kept not thy Word . From this ungrateful Evil wise and vertuous Princes are taken away by Death , entring then into a Kingdome , where without Punishment or Reproof all Obey : Where , tho' there be different Orders and Degrees , there is no different Interest or Inclination , nor other Passions but those of Love and Joy. To be thus taken away from personal and private Evils may be one Sence implied : But I doubt the Sence chiefly intended is , their being taken away from some publick Evil , or some common Calamity , that after their Departure shall fall upon the People and Nation , which they leave behind . As the just GOD does provide that Righteousness should exalt a Nation : So does he resolve that Sin shall prove to the Destruction of every People . Therefore when a whole Country declines into Profaneness and Atheisme , into delighting in their Vanity , and glorying in their Shame ; then does that God to whom Vengeance belongs , begin to shew himself , to vindicate his Justice , and exert his Power : Then does his Resentment break forth in those words of the Prophet : Shall I not Visit for these things , saith the LORD , and shall not my Soul be avenged on such a Nation as this ? But when the day of Visitation is appointed , GOD often calls away the innocent and righteous Souls , and hides them from the Judgment dropping down : As of Old , he prepared a Zoar for righteous Lot , before the Descent of his fiery Indignation upon Sodom : And an Ark was built for Noah , before the Deluge flow'd in upon the guilty World. So has it been since observ'd , that the good St. Augustine departed this Life , just before his City Hippo was taken and laid wast : And Zealous Luther is congratulated for being took out of the World a little before the Civil Wars in Germany , and the Miseries of that divided Country . Thus frequently are the Righteous taken away from the Evil to come . Especially , if the Text referrs to righteous and merciful Princes , They by the singular Care of Providence seem caught away from some publick Calamity , which Themselves deserve to escape , and their People deserve to suffer . It was so in the Reign of Hezekiah , That excellent Prince had a perverse People , for whom GOD had prepared a Vial of Wrath , but would not pour it down , till his Anointed Head was laid safe in his Sepulchre . Wrath was upon Judah and Jerusalem , but Hezekiah humbled himself , so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah : But when He slept with his Fathers , then came Invasion , and Bloud , and Captivity . Then the Lord brought upon them the Captains of the Host of the King of Assyria , which took Manasseh among the Thorns , and bound him with Fetters , and carried him to Babylon . This dispensation of Providence was more remarkable in the Reign of religious Josiah : When the People despis'd the Example of the Best of Princes ; and made the City and Country a Stage of Profaneness , while the Court was all Devotion : Then by the mouth of Huldah the Prophetess , thus said the LORD , Behold I will bring Evil upon this place , and upon the Inhabitants thereof , even all the Curses that are written in the Book : My wrath shall be poured out upon this place , and shall not be quenched . But the pious Prince , He was snatched as a Firebrand out of the Fire . As for the King of Judah , thus saith the LORD , Because thine Heart was tender , and thou didst humble thy self , and rend thy cloaths , and weep before me : Behold I will gather thee to thy Fathers , and Thou shalt be gathered to thy Grave in peace ; neither shall thine Eyes see all the Evil that I will bring upon this place , and upon the Inhabitants of the same . And so the Reprieve was granted , till his Sanctuary was the Grave . But then , the first Successor was depos'd , and carried into Aegypt ; and under the next , GOD brought upon them the King of the Chaldees , who slew the young men with the Sword , and had no compassion upon Young man or maiden , Old man , or him that stooped for Age. The Records of our own Church and Nation present us with such an Instance of Divine Mercy in the most Pious of our English Princes , King Edward the Confessor ; whom our Oldest Historians report to have had this Vision on his dying Bed. Two Men of Religious Order and Habit appear'd in his Chamber , and declar'd themselves the Messengers of GOD , and deliver'd this Express to him : Your Nobility , Clergy , and People of England have fill'd up the measure of their Iniquities : So that God has bent his Bow , and made his Arrows ready for them . Die you in Peace , but within One Year , and One Day after your Decease , Strangers shall possess this Land , and condemn it to Fire and Sword. To this Message they say the Prince return'd : My Soul is sore troubled to foresee the Affliction of my People ; but sure if they turn from their Wickedness , then will God repent , and leave a Blessing for them . A like Sentence was denounc'd upon the Ninevites , and yet suspended on their Repentance : Nay , the Humiliation of wicked Ahab diverted the Evil from his own days : Therefore ( says he ) I will perswade my People to repent , that God may have Mercy , and withhold the impending Judgment . No , said the Two Holy Men , The Heart of this People is hard'ned , and their Eyes are blinded ; they cannot see with their Eyes , and understand with their Heart , and God cannot heal them . Depart you in Peace , and escape the Evil to come . The History proceeds , That the decaying Prince recover'd strength to tell This to his attending Courtiers ; and that Stigand among Others ridicul'd the Story , and said it was all the Dotage and Delirium of a dying Man : But it prov'd a Prophecy , and had a fatal Completion ; for within the appointed time , the Normans invaded , and conquer'd , and divided the Land. Thus have I op'ned the Text , and familiarly explain'd the several parts of it ; so that it is easy for you to apprehend this to have been the sence of the Prophet . In the midst of a wicked and careless Generation , some publick Calamity , some universal Loss may happen , and yet None be much affected with it : Even the sharpest Affliction may befal a Nation , their righteous Prince may perish , and their merciful Governour be taken away ; and yet the Wound reaches to no Heart , None betray the Concern and Sorrow which so sad an Accident calls for ; but drive on their little Humours and Designs with no regard of publick Loss , or publick Good. When alas ! They ought to consider , that by such a providential Chance , they may suffer more than they imagine : For that Castle of Defense being now remov'd , Enemies and Destruction may come upon them ; and sad Experience may too soon convince , that the Righteous was taken away from a fatal Evil to come , which had been longer suspended , had the Righteous longer liv'd . And now All this I will not apply so near , as every Conscience may apply . When righteous Princes perish , their Ashes are too Sacred to be disturb'd by every Tongue : And when they seem taken away from an Evil to come , yet it is not fit every bold Person should portend that Evil , or describe the Tokens of it : It is more modest to direct you how to bestow one serious Thought or two on these Branches of the Text. First , On the Righteous perishing , and the Merciful being taken away . Secondly , On no Man laying it to Heart , nor considering what may be the Consequence of it . Thirdly , On the fatal Reason of GOD'S Providence in it : The Righteous may be taken away from some Evil to come . First , Let us reflect on the Righteous perishing , and the Merciful being taken away . Let us reflect , I say , that Piety and Vertue will save our Souls , but not our Lives : All Graces are subject to Mortality in this World , and only purchase Eternity in that other World. It is true , the prolonging of days in the Land wherein they live , is promis'd a Reward to the Obedient Keepers of Divine Laws ; and so it really proves , by the course of Nature , and by the care of Providence : By the course of Nature , as Sobriety , Temperance , and all Vertue preserve our Health , and protract our Life : And again , By the care of Providence , as GOD more especially protects his own Servants from common Dangers , keeps them as the Apple of his Eye , and hides them under the Shadow of his Wings , and carries them safe to Grey Hairs , and a good Old-age . But this is not so meant , as if all Men's Piety were to be a Charm against Sickness and Death : No! Not only the Bloud-thirsty and Deceitful do not live out half their days ; but even the Good and Vertuous fall often in the prime of their Age : And yet by their untimely Death they justify the Wisdom and Mercy of GOD , in that they more quickly retire to Rest , when they are sooner weary of a wicked World ; and particularly are taken away from some ensuing Judgment , which they kept off by their exemplary Lives , and make room for by their sudden Death . This is a just Reflection on the Death of all Righteous and Merciful Men : But if the Prophet understood , as we cannot but understand , the Words of some one Righteous and Merciful Prince : Then we should farther reflect , That Royal Bloud will run no longer , than that in the Veins of the meanest Subject : That a Court stands as open to Diseases as a Cottage : That Crowns , and Swords , and Scepters cannot awe , nor bribe the King of Terrors Death . I have said ye are Gods , but ye shall die like Men : For so the haughty Heathen Monarchs , who affected to be Divine , soon prov'd their Humanity by being Mortal . Nay , it has so hapned , that the Best Princes have generally had the more early Translation to Heaven . Whither because they most despise the vain Glories of an Earthly Crown , and labour to be the more quickly deliver'd from the Burden of it : Or , whither by their great and good Deeds they sooner work out their Salvation , and deserve the more speedy Admission into the Courts of Heaven : Or , whither their Subjects by such a Loss may be taught more to value such a Blessing : Or whither , as the Text implies , they stand in the Gap , and fence off the Destruction of a profligate People , and must be taken out of the way , that GOD may be avenged on those his Enemies . Whither for One , or All of these Reasons , Holy and Religious Princes are the shortest Loan from Heaven , soonest call'd in from an ungrateful World. Thus the Jews lost their good Josiah , before he was Forty Years of Age ; and He , whom we English call'd our Josiah , was a Minor in all but Piety and Parts : As if Rare Princes were to be shew'd only to the Earth , and then snatcht from it ; to leave their Memory more esteem'd , and turn Envy into Admiration . But let us secondly reflect on no Man laying this to Heart , nor considering the Greatness of such a Loss . Sorrow for the Dead was alway an Instinct of Nature , and alway a Precept of Religion ; and therefore alway a Custom in civilized Countries , that , as Solomon expresses it , when Man goeth to his long Home , the Mourners went about the Streets . This Ceremony is paid to common Friends , and to ordinary Relations : But when a Prince and Governour , when a righteous and merciful Prince and Governour resigns a well-manag'd Scepter , and retires into the inner Chambers of Death ; then is it a National Calamity , and calls for a National Grief and Lamentation . When meek and righteous Moses was taken away from the Judging of Israel , the People Wept in the Plains of Moah , and full Thirty Days were employ'd in the unintermitted Penance of Weeping and Mourning . When good Samuel Died , all the Israelites were gathered together , and lamented him . When devout Josiah fell , they bemoan'd him , and wept sore for him that was gone away , because he should return no more , nor see his Native Country . So strict and solemn a Grief , that it became a Proverbial Example of Mourning : A great Mourning as the Mourning of Hadradrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo . Nay , the want of such Condolement GOD threatens as the most Reprobate hardness of Heart , which he can possibly inflict on an obstinate People : It is denounc'd as the Portion of the Wicked , Those that remain of him shall be buried in Death , and his Widows shall not weep : Or as the Psalmist expresses it , There shall be no Widows to make lamentation . And when the Prophet Jeremy was to represent the desperate and lost Condition of the Jews , he proposes this as the heaviest Judgment : Thus saith the LORD , Enter not into the house of Mourning , neither go to lament nor bemoan them ; For I have taken away my Peace from this People , saith the Lord , even Loving-kindness and Mercies . And sure Men's Hearts , like Pharoah's , must be doubly-harden'd , by their own Perverseness , and by the Judgment of GOD ; before they can resist the Torrent of Grief , drove down by the Death of an excellent Prince . Sure Christian Religion must be renounc'd , and common Humanity put off , before the decent Respects of Silence and Sorrow can be omitted on such a sad Occasion . Sure All , that have the Bowels of a Man , cannot but in meer Nature have some Pity and Regret at the Instability of Humane Greatness ; and to see how little Distance there is between a Throne and a Grave . Sure All , that have any Love for their Sion , any Value for their Religion , cannot but complain in Bitterness of Soul , when they lose a KING that has been a Nursing Father , or A QUEEN that has been a Nursing Mother . And even All that are concern'd only for the Interest of the State , must needs commiserate the Suffering of it , when the Head is laid low that did so wisely Guide it : When There 's an end of the Sagacity , and Courtesy , and Clemency , and all the other Excellence of Spirit , that was fit to fill a Throne , and save a Nation . Sure Examples are not wanting how much Grief , and grateful Respect , has been paid to the Ashes of Wise and Vertuous Princes . I might offer One from the known Annals of our own Nation : Maud , the Wife of King Henry the First , a Princess , who by her Charity , and Affability , and Piety , all temper'd with Prudence , did so win upon the Hearts of all the English People , that when She came to Die , the Nation was in a perfect Tumult of Grief and Sorrow : They all lamented Her , as the most dutiful Daughter of the Church , and the most affectionate Mother of her Country : They labour'd to touch her Coffin , and to salute her Grave : And in all Discourse and Writing , they scarce ever mention'd Her , but with this Character , Mold the Good Queen . Certainly our Reform'd Religion must have now improv'd the sense of Tenderness and Love , above the Temper of those who liv'd in a Communion of a narrow and persecuting Spirit . Certainly that Disposition , for which we have since invented the Name of Good-nature , and boast it the Propriety of our Modern English Tongue , must incline us to more soft and compassionate Thoughts , than could arise to those our rough and hardy Ancestors : And certainly , that very Breeding , to which our Times so much pretend , must direct us to all those just Civilities of Duty and Respect , which were less paid , and less due , in that Ruder Age. One would ( I mean ) imagine , that the Blessing of a Good QUEEN should make a deeper Impress upon English Hearts ; and the being depriv'd of that Blessing should raise warmer Resentments of Grief , than the like Providence did in the remote Reign of Hen. I. when the Normans were transported with Conquest , and the Saxons were dis-spirited with Oppression ; when the Insolence of one Party , and the Indignation of the other , were enough to take away all the better Affections of Humane Nature . It is impossible that Nature , Education , and Religion , when they are All reform'd , should be All less effectual to strike and wound the Hearts of a Nation , when they have lost a QUEEN equal to the greatest Example of past Ages . When , without suspicion of Flattery , Her Character shall be drawn for the Use of Posterity . Posterity will not believe , That a great part of Her People were Indifferent , and Unaffected with Her Death ; and only put on their Mourning , as the Pharisees did their Sackcloth , to appear unto Men. At least , Posterity will not believe , That some were so Insolent , as to Ridicule the Divine Judgment , and make a Mock at GOD'S Anger , and their own Sin. A barbarous Indignity , that could have been only tolerable in that Emperour , who , amidst the Conflagration of his City , was setting Musick to the Flames : Or in that Other , who wisht a signal Calamity might happen in his Reign , to distinguish it from ordinary and unobservable Times . The Thoughts of such inhumane Practice will naturally lead us to the more melancholly Reflection . For we are lastly to reflect on the fatal Reason of GOD'S Providence , in so severe a Dispensation . The Righteous is taken away from the Evil to come . History tells us , The First Christians were retreated to Pella , before the Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem : Or else , perhaps their Prayers might have turn'd back the Armies of the Aliens , and stopt the Bloud that was imprecated on the Jews , and on their Children . Indeed GOD cannot execute a dreadful Judgment , while the Righteous remain to intercede , and turn aside his stretched out Arm. Had but Ten Righteous Persons been found upon their Knees in Sodom , they had quencht the Fire and Brimstone , before it fell on the polluted City . Yes ! Righteous and Merciful Men , they are the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel : They are the Guardian Angels , and defend the Province over which they do preside . The Messenger of GOD told Lot , that Nothing could be done against the City , while he was within the Walls of it : Hast thee , escape thither ; for I cannot do any thing till Thou be come thither . When the LORD was wroth with his Inheritance of Israel , and resolv'd their Iniquity should be upon their own Heads ; yet the Intercession of Moses stopt his drawn Sword ; nor could he strike till Moses should let him alone . I have seen this People , said the LORD , and behold it is a stiff-necked People : Now therefore let me alone , that my Wrath may wax hot against them , and that I may consume them . So much Violence does GOD himself seem to suffer from the Prayers of Holy Men : And in the most Sinful Land , it is rather a Threat than a Decree , That Noah , Daniel , and Job , shall deliver Nothing but their own Souls . Oh! That a People were Wise , and would Consider this ! Who cannot but Consider ? That when the Walls of a City are broken down , how easy is it for the Enemies to enter and destroy ? When the Pillars of a Temple are took away , how soon must the unsupported Fabrick fall ? When the Banks are laid low , how naturally will the Waters overwhelm the defenceless Ground ? Even so , when the Righteous are taken away , how without Resistance must descend the Evil to come ? It is true : While we reflect on former Mercies , and contemplate our present Affairs , we grow Sanguine , and presume that All will be Safe and Happy : But while we take the other Prospect of Divine Justice , and our own Provocations of it ; Then the Light Side of the Pillar is turn'd round to Cloud and Darkness , and fearful Expectations may remain . What Judgment may we expect ? What may we not expect ? Shall we choose any One of the Three Evils , which Gad offer'd to David ? Shall Seven Years of Famine come upon us in our Land ? Our Bodies Hungry and Thirsty , and our Souls fainting in them ? No! Bless , O LORD , our Victuals with Encrease , and satisfy our Poor with Bread ; and suffer us not to know the want of that Plenty we abuse ! Shall we flee Three Months before our Enemies , while they pursue us ? Shall Invasion , and Conquest , and Slavery , drown us in Sweat and Bloud ? No! Defend us , Good LORD , from barbarous and insulting Foes : Give us the undeserved Favour of Victory Abroad , and Peace at Home ! Well , but Shall there be Three Days Pestilence in the Land ? Shall Carcasses fall in Heaps , and the Living be buried among the Dead ? Yea , rather Let us fall into the Hand of the Lord , for his Mercies are great , and let us not fall into the Hand of Man : But rather , O LORD , turn away this Plague from us : Give us Strength and Health : Give us leave to wait our appointed Time , till a natural and gentle Change shall come . Tho' the Hand-writing seems upon the Wall ; and the Sentence of Death be already executed against that just Person , who could alone have stopt the determin'd Woe : Yet , Let us turn unto the Lord with all our heart , with Fasting , and with Weeping , and with Mourning : Let us rend our Heart , and not our Garment ; and looking upon the Evil to come , let us try whither the Merciful and Gracious LORD will Repent him of that Evil : Who knoweth , if he will return , and repent , and leave a Blessing behind him ? Merciful GOD ! Let it be Judgment Enough ! That we have lost a Princess , whom past Ages never did Exceed , and future Generations shall scarce ever Equal ! Judgment Enough ! That we have lost the Benefit of so many Prayers of that Devout QUEEN , who lov'd no Apartment of Her Palace , so well as Her Chapel ; and behav'd Her-self in it with that Zeal and Affection , as if She believ'd it the House of God , and the Gate of Heaven , which is now Open'd to Her : Who made Her Closet a continued Oratory of private Devotions : Who prosecuted all Business , as if She had no leisure to Pray ; and yet Pray'd so Continually , as if She had attended no other Business . Judgment enough ! That we have lost Her who believ'd Religion , and adorn'd it ; who understood the Constitution of our Church , and therefore lov'd it : Who Honour'd Divines for the Sake of their Profession , and made Her Preferments the Reward of good Preaching , and good Living . And ( what is not improper to mention within these Walls ) Lost Her , who was a Friend to Learning , who knew how to chuse Books , and to digest them ; and amidst all urgent Affairs , could descend to the Cares of a Library . Judgment Enough ! That we have lost Her , who paid all the obedient Duties of a Wife , so rare in Royal Consorts , who , in a less Coparcenry than Hers , are tempted to bear no Equal , at least to acknowledge no Superiour . Lost Her , who was a Mistriss Affable and Humble ; and who , if She had wanted Power , could have been Perswasive ; whom supreme Authority could not make Imperious to Her Servants : Who set Her Maidens an Example of Domestick Industry ; and Govern'd Her Family , as if that had been her Only Kingdom . Lost Her ! Who could Rule a Nation , and make Her Lord seem Absent to None , but to Her-self : Who could do Justice without Revenge , and shew Mercy without Weakness , and Reign in the Hearts of Her People . In a word , Judgment Enough ! To lose Her , wherein Her Quality has lost an Ornament , Her Sex a Glory , Her Nation a Blessing , and the World an Example . Good GOD ! Permit no other Judgment to fall upon us : Let Us the Priests , and You the People , Weep between the Porch and the Altar ; and let us say , Spare thy People O Lord , and give not thy Heritage to Reproach : Be jealous for thy Land , and pity thy People , Thy Distressed People . To Thee , O Father of Mercies , with the Son of thy Love , and the Spirit of Consolation , be ascrib'd the Kingdom , Power , and Glory , for Ever and Ever . Amen . Notes, typically marginal, from the original text Notes for div A47257-e120 Mal. 4.2 Luk. 23. ver . 47. ● Cor. 5. ver . 21. Pro. 21. ver . 21. Grot. in Loc. 2 King. 22. v. 2. Psal. 12. v. 20. Eccl. 12. ver . 7. Heb. 9. v. 27. Is. 53.8 . Eccl. 7. ver . 2. Ps. 34. ver . 19 2 Pet. 2. ver . 8. Ps. 119. v. 136.158 . Pro. 14. ver . 34. Jer. 5.9 . 2 Cron. 32.25 , 26. 2 Cron. 34.24 . lb. 27 , 28. 2 Cron. 36.17 . Sim. Dunel . sub an . 957. Allredus de vit . & Mirac . Ed. confess . Cron. Joh. Brompton . sub Anno. M LX VI. Henr. de Knighton de Event . Ang. Cap. 14. K. Edw. VI. Ecl. 12. ver . 5. Deu. 34. ver . 8. 1 Sam. 25.1 . Jer. 22.10 . Zech. 12 ver . 11. Job . 27. ver . 15. Psal. 74. ver . 66. Jer. 16. ver . 5. 〈…〉 H●st . W●nt . A●g . 〈…〉 p 2●● . Sueton. in Vit. Ner. Cap. ●8 . Idem in Vit. Calig . Cap. 31. Gen. 18. ver . 32. 2 Kin. 2. ver . 12. Gen. 19. ver . 22. Ex. 32. ver . 9. Eze. 14. ver . 14. 2 Sam. 24. Joel . 2. ver . 15. Gen. 28. ver . 17.